As an astronaut, part of the job is accepting that nothing is guaranteed. A week-long mission may well turn into nine months, such is the case for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck at the International Space Station (ISS) since the beginning of June this year.
Former NASA astronaut Steve Swanson said there is always a possibility of something going wrong, and this is something that all astronauts know before they launch.
“You just know it’s a possibility, you kind of somewhat prepare for it. Nothing’s guaranteed for you," he said.
When it comes to mental strength and learning how to cope when plans change and return dates are drastically pushed back, Swanson said it is different for each astronaut.
"Everybody’s a little different. We all like being up there. However, there’s a limit to how long you want to be up there.
“Its family-dependent as well. What arrangements did they have with their family? Were there any big events coming up? Families are also put on hold during this time period too.
"They’re probably going to be just fine, they’re both well capable. It is a burden on them and their families, but they’ll get through it. It might not have been awesome, but at the same time, it’s not that huge of a negative because you get to be in space for a long time."
Wilmore and Williams will have to wait until February for a ride home with the SpaceX spacecraft, after Boeing’s Starliner capsule departed without them from the ISS after thruster failures and helium leaks marred their ride to the space station.
"You never know for sure what’s going to happen. They’re both experienced astronauts, they are well capable of handling it," Swanson said.
"They were never in danger or anything like that, it was just a change of plans."
On life in space, Swanson said: “You go through certain phases. Some months are great, and you get into a routine and then a little longer into it, you get a bit like: ‘Oh, this is getting long.'
"This is because you’re not seeing your family, you’re not seeing your friends, and all the things you like to do you can’t get done.
"Then you have a little bit of a down period and then near the end it gets much better because you have a light at the end of the tunnel."
